Traditional National Day celebrations

In connection with the National Day celebrations and Eslöv's centenary celebrations, The King and Queen greet Berta Svensson and Iris Nilsson, both of whom are 100 years old, at Trollsjögården residential centre for the elderly. Photo: Drago Prvulovic/Scanpix

The King and Queen began the National Day celebrations by visiting Eslöv, which is also celebrating 100 years as a town. The Crown Princess Couple began the day by launching the Open Palace event.

In Eslöv, The King and Queen were welcomed at Eslöv Civic Hall by the Chairman of the Municipal Council, and the Culture School's choir sang. The King and Queen were then given a tour of Eslöv Civic Hall and learnt about the Herbert Felix Institute. From Eslöv Civic Hall, they travelled by motorcade in a 1968 Buick Imperial to Trollsjö Park. Here, performances were given by artists including Johan Martin Bengtsson and Gunhild Carling. In his speech, The King said: "We all need a place where we can feel at home, a place with which we feel an affinity, where we are happy and feel secure. It is my wish that everyone should be able to live in such a place."The visit to Eslöv concluded with lunch at Trollsjögården residential centre for the elderly.

The Open Palace event was launched by The Crown Princess Couple. In her speech, The Crown Princess said: "We hope that today we will reflect on our fine nation of Sweden, a country of peace, freedom and democracy." She also said that it was an honour for The Crown Princess Couple to be able to open the gates to the South Gate and "our shared cultural heritage". During the afternoon, The Crown Princess Couple attended the citizenship ceremony at Stockholm City Hall, where the City of Stockholm welcomed its new citizens in the Blue Hall.In the evening, the Royal Family travelled in a horse-drawn cortège from the Royal Palace of Stockholm to Skansen, where they attended the traditional National Day celebrations. In his speech at Skansen, The King spoke about Sweden's long history and the importance of being open to the fact that Sweden's National Day is a stop along the way between the past and the future.After the celebrations at Skansen, The King and Queen invited representatives from official Sweden to a reception at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. National Day ended with a tattoo at Logården.